HERE COMES THE SON

Everybody collects something. When I was younger, I collected hippos. Actually, friends who know about my hippo fetish will often still give me unique hippos from all over the world, so I guess, in a sense, I still collect them. But, I have turned my mind to other things recently.

I am collecting sons. Well, not really. At least, not yet! But, I have my eye on several! Red, curly haired sons are a high priority, but that excellent hair is not a requirement.

Of all the sons I want to collect I have it narrowed down to one. (this, of course does not include boys who are ALREADY my sons....near Yosemite.....whose mother shares them so well!) Oh sure, there is Wyatt.....but his mother is REALLY into collecting children, having expanded their family from 6 to 9 in a matter of weeks! She needs his help because he is a fabulous big brother. And there is Austin....but his mother seems ready to share him with all kinds of families (I don't share as well). There are Zach and Josh, but their mom needs those boys to balance out the two girls that are coming home (prayerfully, sooner than we all dare hope). Who can forget Luke and Ben....but they have a brother about to come home, too....and those boys need to be good examples for their new little guy. There are so many more! But, I find it easier to let go of collecting them because I see most of them on a somewhat regular basis. BUT THEN....

There's Ethan!

Ethan is perfect in every way. All boy! And still polite and considerate! And I NEVER get to see him! Up until a week or so ago, anyway.

My friend, Melissa, was my doula when Gecko was born. Before that, we were already friends. After that, and just before we moved, we did a little bit of school together. That was when I first adored Ethan (and his brother Evan....though I did not get to see Evan on their recent trip). Ethan was just 6 when we schooled. He was everything I hoped my boys would grow up to be!

While Ethan was here, I hoped that he would rub off greatly on my boys. I am not sure how much of that happened because, as it turns out, Ethan and Carli are clones of one another! Not only did they like the same movies and games....they even MADE up a game while Ethan was here! They made a Star Wars Clue game and we all played....and it was FUN! And you should see both of them exhibit their Michael Jackson moves at the same time!!!

While Melissa had to be back and forth between us and a client of hers that was TRYING to have a baby, we got Ethan the WHOLE time! It was awesome! He really is a "gem" and totally fit in with out family....well, except for that curly, strawberry blond hair!

OH YES! You heard me right. Not only is he FAB....he has reddish curly hair!

Needless to say, all these things make Ethan a perfect addition to my "Son" collection! The hair is just a plus!

And I MIGHT just get my chance. His mom has to do some additional schooling of her own for a few weeks coming up this year. I am working on her to let us host Ethan during that time (Evan is also welcome!!!). I told her I wasn't sure that we would be giving him back, though. Melissa said she might have something to say about that. I told her I had something to say myself,

"Possession is nine-tenths of the law!"

CONFESSION.....AGAIN!

"What do you mean you have never seen WHITE CHRISTMAS either?!" Kevin B., in the middle of the church last Christmas

If you have kept up with my blog for any amount of time, you may remember my shame at being outed by my "friend", Kevin B. last year in the middle of the church lobby, as he called me Un-American for never having seen "It's a Wonderful Life". You may also remember that incident started off a bit of movie swapping (I still need to get Becoming Jane back to you, Cindi....and I need Flower Drum Song....but that is another post!).

What I didn't say in my blog last year, because I could only admit so much communist activity at one time, was that I also have never seen, "White Christmas". This appalled the B's SO much, that they actually GAVE us the movie. To own. And to watch. Last year.

I admit with a red face now....I never did watch it.

Now before I move on to the rest of my confession, I must beg some grace from you. My mother, whom I love greatly, is also a bit of a rebel. Okay...a LOT of a rebel. She doesn't like what everyone else likes. On purpose. Well, she does now....now that she has grandchildren. But, way back when I was kid, there were bans on things that I am sure Kevin would consider American Institutions. Like.....the Brady Bunch, Wizard of Oz, It's a Wonderful Life, White Christmas, Sound of Music, and (get your barf bag, Kevin...you won't BELIEVE this)...ALL Shirley Temple movies!!!!! So, you see, my lack of holiday movie commitment actually stems from being an obedient child. I grew up instead on Gone with the Wind, Gone with the Wind and Gone with the Wind, and all James Cagney movies!

Thank you for your understanding. I am not so sure that is going to buy me much grace with the B's when I give my next admission......

I really liked White Christmas (I must say, I ADORE Danny Kaye....must be the red, curly hair deal!). But....I didn't give it my full attention.

A strange phenomenon occurs in the Yuen house when we watch movies. We spend a quarter of the movie looking up facts about the movie on Internet Movie Data Base. Last night was no exception. I had more fun learning insignificant facts about the movie and stars than I did watching the movie!

Have you seen White Christmas? See what you think!

Did you know that Danny Kaye was Michael Richards (Kramer from Seinfeld) uncle? I spent the rest of the movie AMAZED at how much Michael Richards looks like Danny Kaye!

Samuel Goldwyn did not like that Danny Kaye looked "so Jewish" and demanded he get a nose job to look less Jewish. Kaye refused, so they lightened his hair to get his trademark carrot top!

Ever wonder why Crosby went by the name, "Bing"? 'Cause his really name is Harry Lillis Crosby!!

The picture Judy shows Bob and Phil of her brother.....the brother in the picture is ALFALFA of Little Rascals fame!

The best scene in the movie....when Crosby and Kaye dress up as the sisters and lip sync their song....was not written in the movie. They added it after watching the guys clown around acting like the sisters!

Bing had a long time affair with Grace Kelly! (WHAT? WHAT? WHAT? Was she thinking?!)

Danny Kaye was Bob Hope's favorite comedian. ('nuff said!)

I hope this in no way offends the B's who gave us the movie to broaden our theatrical Christmas experiences. I will say that it is probably my favorite Christmas movie now. Not because it has the best music or acting or story line. But because when Rosemary Clooney is singing "Love, You Did Me Wrong", look who peeks out beside her....


All we girls actually JUMPED UP in a standing ovation, screaming "BERNARDO!!!!! BRING BACK BERNARDO!!!!" like a bunch of teenie boppers in the 50's!!! George Chakiris is (to coin a Carli phrase) delicious and it is worth it to watch the whole movie just to see him for 10 seconds!

Feliz Navidad!

STARS OF WONDER

"Star of Wonder, Star of Light, Star with Royal Beauty Bright, Shining in our Window Wide, on the Tree of Sheba's Backside!" Star of Wonder, revised

Some of you may know my wonderful friend, Shirin. She is my sister in every way except blood. She is Godly, thoughtful, a deep thinker and feeler and wonderful to me in every way.

Well, almost.

A couple of weeks ago, Shirin issued a challenge to me! Yes, a CHALLENGE! Me, her friend! She challenged me! You can read all about it here, but the crux of the matter is that she has Tree Envy.

Oh, you know the type. Once upon a time, she let her kids make a play-doh ornament to hang on her tree, and ten years later, and two more kids, her tree is a regular, clay, yarn and paint display!!! Unlike my co-ordinated, elegant and classy tree, hers is a hodge podge of pottery and such! A chaotic riot of a tree. And, oh, how misery loves company!

Okay, actually, I have not seen Shirin's tree, but given the grief she gives me about my "no homemade ornaments" rule (which our friend, Julie completely caved on this year!...see her demise here), I am left to assume that hers is decorated with only childlike ornaments, paper chains and popcorn and cranberry garlands!

So....Shirin has given up on trying to convert me to her Christmas Chaos Tree, and has instead moved on to tactics of GUILT. Isn't it amazing how the holidays often show our true colors? Mine are Gold and Off-White.

With Shirin's own two hands, she made little off-white, sparkly felt stars for my tree. KNOWING that I would have a hard time turning her down because, well, she is my best friend....even if she is a big stinker! My kids are much easier to appease. I pay extortion dues to them every year to keep them from telling everyone what a horrible mother I am because I ban their ornaments from my tree. I take them to Hobby Lobby and let them pick out foo-foo, gaudy ornaments for the fake tree I bought them. But, can I do this with Shirin???? No! She challenged me to hang her Stars of Wonder on MY Tree of Sheba! She doesn't accept hush money! So, I am stuck......

I must say that the Stars of Wonder are lovely, even i they are hand made. I call them that because those little stars make me wonder.......

I wonder how long Shirin plotted this scheme.
I wonder how long Shirin has envied my Tree of Sheba.
I wonder how long it took to make each little star.
I wonder how much joy it will bring her to know "she won".
I wonder what kind of extortion SHE is going to demand! (there are only so many Mrs. Prindable's apples!)

Anyway....as you can see...I did hang my stars of wonder on my Tree of Sheba. BUT...most of them are on the backside....you know, so the neighbors can stare in wonder.

DON'T TELL DIANE

"So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them kimchi pancakes and mondu soup to eat instead." Daniel 1:16 revised

I have a friend, Diane. She is pregnant and she still looks like THIS......


Diane is an encouragement to me in many ways. She is a wonderful example of a godly wife, a humble and caring daughter-in-law and very conscientious mother. She is filled with grace when considering other people's decisions, which I hope she will remember when she reads this post!

It is Diane's turn to teach our co-op right now. We are learning all about self-control. Diane's job is to teach this with an emphasis on self-control and wise decisions when it comes to eating. We asked her to teach this because she single-handedly is responsible for boosting sales of Bosch mixers and Nutri-Mill grain mills! She is the mom who taught all of us to grind our own wheat and bake our own bread. She is very health conscious. She not only mills her own grain, but belongs to an organic veggie co-op, knows every alias for MSG and can spot a preservative a mile away!!

One of the fun things Diane had us do this week was go on a field trip to a grocery store and read labels and make good food choices with input from our kids. If I had actually given my kids input, perhaps I would not be writing this confession right now!

Now, I am as unique as Diane is healthy, so for me, a trip to the grocery store was not enough. I enlisted the "help" of my friend, Angi, and we planned our field trip to the Korean market, H Mart, in Aurora. There is WAY more exotic stuff to look at at H Mart AND I can buy ingredients to make amazing food! With the promise of a Korean meal, Angi was in.

Angi and I packed up our kids and made the 45 minute trip to H Mart. Oh, the things we do in the name of quality education! At this point, Angi and I were still committed to the letter and the spirit of the lesson Diane had worked so hard to teach us. Of course, Angi and I were still in the parking lot!

All eleven of us started out so well, so Diane-worthy. We went to the produce department. I bought fresh spinach, apples, onions and avocados. Then I moved on to more exotic fare like baby bok choy and other Asian fruits and vegetable. I had grand AND healthy ideas of soups and salads running through my head for lunches! (Oh, Diane, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak....). Angi, too, was filling up on good fruits and veggies. We spent a fair amount of time in the produce section making very healthy food choices!

From the produce section, we headed over to the fish department. Our kids had a blast watching the live fish swimming around. I think they thought it was a mini version of the Denver Aquarium, so I didn't have the heart to tell them that later the only place they would be on display was on someone's dinner plate! Then we looked at all the dead fish on ice. I must say, that there were about 14 varieties of fish available for purchase and only TWO were farm raised (a healthy food choice no-no). The rest were all wild caught and very healthy.

Angi and I didn't buy any fish.

Next stop....butcher! We perused the available delicacies.....duck, goose, oxtail, duck and turkey gizzards, duck feet (I think Asians have a thing against ducks!) and squab. We, however, chose RED meat. I know, not the healthiest of meat....but we weren't planning on eating a TON of it (just a half ton). I think after filling our carts half full of bulgogi meat and kalbi ribs, we uttered our first, "Don't tell Diane." Oh the shame we felt...for a minute or two.

Having admitted our less than perfect meat choice, we decided to pay a healthy food choice penance. We bought kimchi. Kimchi is a pickled cabbage with pepper sauce. It is spicy, stinky and about the healthiest thing you can eat for your digestive track. Angi bought a pint. I bought (are you paying attention Diane?) ONE GALLON!! This was a major concession on our part to be healthy, as when you buy kimchi, you cannot just put it in your fridge. You have to hermetically seal the jar, wipe it completely down, douse it with baking soda, and wrap it in TWO bags, which are knotted in the best of scouting knots...a regular cabbage Fort Knox!!!! Again, the things Angi and I do for quality education. Angi and I discussed how proud Diane would be of us to see us buying so much healthy kimchi. But, then we admitted, red-faced, that we were only buying it to mix with a sort of Korean Bisquick, to make a batter that we would then deep fry in inches of vegetable oil to make kimchi pancakes!! This admission was followed by a round of "Don't tell Diane."

Well, now we were really on a roll! From the kimchi section, we cruised over to the frozen food department. There, we bought bags and bags of mondu (Korean potstickers) and wontons. To add to that healthy soup I was thinking about way back in the produce department! Fortunately, the labels on the mondu and wontons were only written in several Asian languages, which I could not read. Therefore, I felt confident that this was a kind of "get out of jail free" card and we would not be held to actually learning whether there were preservatives of some sort in them. Angi wasn't so sure. This set off more rumblings of "Don't tell Diane!"

We did much better in the snack department, where I bought our favorite fermented sunflower crackers (TWO bags, because fermentation is so good for your digestive track), and I actually told me children "no" when they asked for Choco-Pies, which are like marshmallow Moon Pies. I will admit that part of the reason that Angi and I did so well in the snack aisle was because the coconut crackers we were both craving (and I am sure are filled with partially hydrogenated oils, preservatives and probably ten hidden names of MSG) were nowhere to be found. Whew! Dodged that bullet!!

We skated through the last few aisles, stocking up on sesame oil and pepper paste only. And then we hit the bakery. Here, I am afraid, I have to rat out my friend Angi....who ate a FROSTING filled sweet bun. My daughter and I made a healthy food choice and chose sweet buns with green bean paste or sweet potato filling. Of course, we all laughed at how much fat and sugar were in these. In the middle of our giggling, we all stopped and looked seriously at each other, mouthing in unison, "don't tell Diane."

Once we got home, we tempered our guilt by throwing ourselves whole-hearteddly into making an authentic Korean meal! We made kalbi ribs, which were absolutely incredible! Kalbi is similar to terriyaki, but we were careful to use only organic brown sugar and also sweeten the marinade with fresh kiwi! AND, let it be noted that we used low sodium soy sauce!! However, besides the meat and a healthy choice Asian salad, we went to work on other favorites. We deep fried kimchi pancakes and made the mondu soup with Dashida (and I won't even tell you what I COULD read on that label!), all to intonations of "PLEASE don't tell Diane!!!!".

In the end, I think our healthy food choice day and field trip were a bust by Diane Standards.

BUT.....mine and Angi's families couldn't have been happier!!! (Must have been all that bacon in the fried rice!)

Bon Appetit!

SPEAKING OF CHILL-AXING

That's about all we have been doing lately. Chillin' and relaxin'.

It is chillier than it ever has been in Colorado since we moved here! We are in the MINUS digits right now....and that is during the DAYTIME! It is pretty freezing! (still believe in Global Warming? You need to come for a visit!)

Living in the Arctic West has its disadvantages. The snow isn't so bad...it's the ice that is killing us! We live at the crest of a big hill and there is no getting down it right now. Not without sliding. The other day, I almost slid into my garage door! My friend calls this phenomenon, Car Sledding. Believe me, there is nothing fun about it. We have missed church, AWANA, co-ops, birthday parties, music lessons and last minute Christmas shopping. The ice is a real drag on the ol' social life. Not to mention that we can't use the hot tub now until the Spring Thaw!

Once we get over these inconveniences, we find that if we can at least get out for an hour to stock up on groceries (and get a hair cut), the Ice Storm is actually a blessing.

I think a lot of my friends would say I am a mover and a shaker. A pastor once said I had small twitch muscle problems because I never stop moving. I don't intentionally take time to slow down....until I burn out. This cold snap has been just what I need to avoid burnout. It has given me undivided time with my favorite people in the world. My family. We have made cider, watched Christmas movies, played games and just hung out. What refreshment!! It is restoring my soul. (Believe me, all the waters the Lord is leading me by right now are still....they are FROZEN!!!). I needed that restoration. A reminder that co-ops are so fun, harp is an answer to prayer, there are no celebrations of life like a party, church is always available if you have a Bible, and the sales get better the closer you get to Christmas anyway......but that time with family is priceless.

So...I am actually enjoying this season of ice. I am hunkering down in front of the Tree of Sheba and having hot stuff to drink (my friend, Julie, over at Family Jules, enjoys hot stuff with a Whoppie Pie....I don't know what that is, but it looks good and I want one of those, too!), loving on my kids and counting my blessings until the Thaw comes.

So, this has made for great times for us. Oh! And one more great thing about this cold snap....






You don't need to put ice in your bottled water! It is already there!!!!

CHILLAX, AUNTY!

"NO! You can't let her cut her hair before her senior pictures!!!" Aunty Shirin

Since Catey was 4 years old, she has been growing her hair. She gets it cut once a year, and with the exception of last year when I accidentally hacked off four inches, she usually only removes a couple of inches at a time.

I was not thrilled with the idea of a four year old and beyond with super long hair. Mostly because I did NOT want to take care of super long hair on a four year old! My husband, who is convinced anyone with long hair will look like Cindy Crawford, refused to back me up, promising that said four year old would definitely take care of her own hair. Under threat that HE would have to detangle every rat's nest if she didn't, I relented. And you know what?

Catey had beautiful hair. She really DID take care of it herself! And it was healthy and lovely, and LOOOOOOOONG.

But, a new day has dawned for the rich, round, hairy monkey, Catey. Today, Catey cut off about EIGHT inches (on purpose!!!!!) and layered it.

My husband lamented. I heard he even made a "tortured face" (according to Jocelyn) when I sent him a picture of all of Catey's cut off hair. My daughter's aunty (who herself has INCREDIBLE hair....and chooses to wear it on the shorter side these days) cried and bellowed to me not to cut her hair before senior pictures (as if I had planned this!).

In the end....Miss Arlene, Superstylist....did a remarkable job! Catey looks lovely...

And WAY too old! Now, I am crying!!!!!

BEFORE:


AFTER:




AND....speaking of hair. Isn't red, curly hair beautiful? Even light red hair is lovely, wouldn't you agree?

WHO LOVES YA, BABY?

"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father is this; to care for orphans and widows in their affliction" James 1:27a

Almost three years ago, a little boy was born to a mother who wanted what was best for him, but could not provide it. She made a difficult decision to carry her baby to term, surely growing more and more attached to him as the months wore on. On February 1st, 2007, she gave birth to her beautiful, healthy baby boy. He had shocks of black hair and a perfect, round face. And then, she put him in someone else's arms and asked that they find a good home for him.

It was eight and a half months later that Ah Chan came home from South Korea as our son, Samuel. Still perfect, still beautiful and still precious.

Anyone who has followed this blog knows how God's hand was on Sam's adoption from the moment his birth mother found out she was pregnant. She went through with her pregnancy and made arrangements for a good life for her son. We got the referral of Sam ten months sooner than anyone expected. We got free tickets to Korea for Carl and I to go and bring Sam home. Something that is not necessary when adopting a child from Korea, but we wanted to do so we could tell Sam what Seoul was like.

When we met Sam, he was all smiles. A chubby, happy, ACTIVE little boy who spent 45 minutes alone with us and never cried. His face was full of trust and cheerfulness. He did so well, we got him a day earlier than our agency had planned. He slept like, well, a baby that first night with us, not crying or pouting but once.

I know that God bonded Sam's heart to ours before we even met him. It was supernatural the way he took to us. God used someone very special to help that process.

This our son's foster mother (and Sam), Mrs. Kim. For 8.5 months, she raised my son as her own....knowing he was not. She fed him, diapered him, cared for him,and slept with him on the floor. But mostly, Mrs. Kim loved Sam deeply. That is why, when we met him, he was happy and trusting. He had learned to bond with Mrs. Kim and her family. He was well loved by her and his foster family, especially his foster father. And it showed. Sam KNEW the world revolved around him, and that all people were put on this earth to love on him. At least that is how Mrs. Kim raised him in the time she parented him.

We knew that his foster family was not his forever family, and they knew it, too. But Sam didn't. There was some grieving when he came home.....but because of the love Mrs. Kim raised him with, he trusted us completely from the start and began bonding with us even before we left Korea. His grieving was necessary, and, thankfully, short.

Not all children who are waiting for forever families are as blessed as our Sam. In South Korea, they work on a foster system. Usually one foster mother to one baby. Children in orphanages in South Korea are children who cannot be adopted. Orphanages are rare and small in Korea, as they are blessed with Umma's who gladly pour out love on the babies waiting for their families. But, many countries don't have this luxury and still a majority of their orphaned children are raised in orphanages. They do not always have the benefit of one on one bonding to teach them how to trust and love. Every child awaiting adoption has a special need....they need a forever family, but children coming from foster care have an advantage to be sure. They are loved completely and well cared for.

Countries are starting to take notice. Many are trying desperately to institute a foster system, but it costs A LOT more than running an institution. However, these countries see how the children have thrived in foster systems, and bonded well with their new families and get off to a better and more secure start in their life. The dilemma, then, is funding.

Our friends, Jim and Emily Adcox have brought two of their children home from China, and have a third one waiting for his paperwork to allow him to come home, too! Their first two, wonderful adopted children lived in orphanages, but Noah has a foster family. Jim and Emily want every child in the economically-challenged province of Henan (where Ben and Noah hail from) to have the opportunity to be blessed by a foster family. They want every waiting child to be individually loved by that one special person, until they come to their forever family.

Jim and Emily have started a foundation, Henan Kids International, whose goal it is to help the orphans from Henan receive care. Foster care is one of the things HKI is trying to provide, as well as all other basic needs. If my son did not have this benefit in Korea, his little life would have had such a much harder start. He would have had to overcome so much. Instead, he was loved and blessed and ready for us! Please click on the Henan Kids button in my sidebar just to read more about their mission.

Love Changes Lives.